Wishful Wednesday: Cairo American College

Who doesn’t want to go to Cairo and see the nearby Great Pyramids?! I know, one tourist attraction is not a good reason to sign on for a school, so even though many of my friends have said that they LOVED visiting and/or working in Cairo, I decided to see how the Cairo American College measures up!

I give this school a 10/10!

1. What type of school is it?

Non-profit, US accredited, IB and AP available in high school

2. Student population:

My friends who have worked in Cairo have said that the student population in Egypt can be rather challenging, but every review I’ve read on ISR and elsewhere says that CAC has an amazing student population! Due to the security situation in Egypt, enrollment is nearly half of what it once was with (according to the CAC fact page) about “840 students, 351 are US citizens, 151 host country nationals, and 331 are other nationalities.” According to their FAQ page, “over 60 nationalities are represented in the student body.”

3. Class size:

This website says that the average class size is 17 students which is quite nice!

4. Technology:

I was very happy to read that this school has, “…computers in every classroom, computer labs, and a 1 to 1 ratio of laptops for learning in grades 3-5.” Sweet!

5. Retirement:

I couldn’t find retirement into on their website, but this site says that there is a 10% employer match which is not too shabby!

6. Overall package:

The CAC website is stingy with salary and benefit details so I had to look elsewhere. This website says that teachers can earn $40-70K and manage to save on average $12K per year. Housing and medical insurance are provided (though not well loved on various websites I’ve visited). It seems like a decent package overall.

The Ancient City of Cairo! If you are into history this is a great place to be! Nearby pyramids, markets, museums (especially The Egyptian Museum), mosques; you will never get bored. This place is full of history, and like any place it has its ups and downs. I have many friends who have traveled or worked in Cairo during the past couple of years and they say that the news is blowing things out of proportion. If you like to run, walk or bike in the desert, dive in the Red Sea, you’ll find plenty to choose from. My friends who lived in Maadi (where the school is located) all said that this is a great part of Cairo to be in.

8. Salsa Dancing:

It doesn’t look like there is a huge salsa scene in Cairo (though I also like belly dancing which IS really popular), but according to this FB page, there are at least TWO salsa nights in town. One salsa night is at a place called Mojitos which someone recently filmed a salsa rueda at!

9. Teachers:

The CAC Fact Page lists, “96 full time teachers and 10 part time teachers. 54 are US citizens, 23 host country nationals, and 29 third country nationals.” An interesting mix of teachers for a decently sized school.

10. Food:

Cairo is a massive city and if you look for something you can generally find it. I have read that if you need imported products then you will pay a hefty premium. My friends who have worked in Cairo have all said one of their favorite things about living there is that you can have absolutely ANYTHING delivered for a very low cost. Even if you don’t want to pony up for imported stuff, who doesn’t like falafel and kebabs?!

Please comment! Have you been to Cairo? Would you want to work there? Have you or someone you know worked at the Cairo American College? Can you add any info to what I’ve listed above?